Model I'm unsure. TVS maybe. Hopefully it is stamped in the end of the shroud above the spark plug. Possibly on a decal on the shroud under plastic. SAE 30 oil. Regular unleaded fuel. Nice find

Here is a link that might be useful: Tec parts

hi, thanks for your help, but i think the tvs is a two stroke and the handbook does say a four stroke is fitted, but not which make. there is a number stamped on one of the metal covers but it does not correspond with anything from tecumseh. also it looks like a considerable effort to remove the top cover to see if there is a plate under it. the tecumseh website is back but is not setup for enquiries. there are pdfs of their engines (which include the plastic top covers) but none look anything like this one. ive search the whole web and cant see an engine or mountfield like it.

and ive just had a pathetic and unhelpful email from mountfield which totally ignored my request about the age of THEIR mower and which engine was fitted. looks like it really is ancient has slipped out of their database. the things that make me think its 'eighties' old is it lacks modern features like a primer bulb and theres no handle bar brake that stops the engine when you let it go. they had those in the nineties didnt they? also it has metal wheels; everything like that has been plastic for ages! the mower detailing looks 'old fashioned' somehow, like the catch for the grass collector and the leaflet goes on like rotary mowers are a new concept or something.

i suppose my next move is to get the top cover off somehow without breaking it off in a rage.

well at last ive found the engine, although not from an expected source.

i had a brainwave of looking through ebay listings for the engine and eventually found one like mine!

according to the auction it is a 5hp BVLR198 mower engine.

the spec is;

Engine numbers: BVLR198ES
Type: 4-stroke, single-cylinder
Crankshaft: 7/8" diameter, plain parallel with keyway, extends approx. 3.5" overall (approx. 2" usable)
Orientation: Vertical crankshaft
Auxiliary PTO shaft: 0.5" diameter x 2" long.
Starting: Electric (MINE HASN'T) and recoil start
Fuel: Unleaded petrol

BVLR198 was indeed the number on the casing, but i searched again anyway. there is a list of manuals to download on tecumseh website but not this engine. :(

has this engine totally gone into obscurity?

the ebay engine was 'new' (probably stored) so i dont trust its spec completely, after all an engine this obscure must be pretty old. it mentions unleaded, but i dont know if they changed the engine during its run from my one.

does anyone have info on servicing it (what air filter, how much oil needed, fuel type, how to drain oil etc). also what year it was made, and where i can download a servicing manual? thanks

A TVS was a popular 4 stroke over here, but the #s you have are new to me! Tecumsehs have always like sae30 oil. The airfilter could be identified w/ a pic maybe. Are there other #s on the engine next to the model #.

hi, ive found a few air filters on ebay. they are quite expensive though, about £15 with the postage!

yes it does take sae30 oil as the plate on the mower itself says. i suppose i should be able to service it with the info i have.

i think if the mower is from the '80's, it explains why it is so obscure. its a 5hp engine so maybe it was only fitted to higher spec mowers and hence not that well known.